ANOTHER USE FOR LEMON BALM...

I purchased these "star" candles on my shopping excursion on Wednesday....they have a battery tea lite molded into them. When you sit them in water they light up and when you take them out...they go off. How cool is that!!!! I added some Lemon Balm to some water in a bowl and added the star light candle - I think I should add some flower petals too....how pretty and what a nice centerpiece for your table. A customer already wants some for her fish pond....I need to order more!!!

LAVENDER....

I received my box of "culinary lavender" from Susan of Henny Penny's Country Store....it is wonderful Susan. She packaged it in clear cello bags and tied the bags with two pretty shades of lavender ribbon. I have made a small tag and will get the lavender in the store today.....NOW customers will have a source for the culinary lavender when making Lavender Pound Cake, Lavender Sugar....and my next NEW recipe....Lavender Egg Salad......(stop squinching your nose!!) Everything I have ever used lavender in has been delish.....the secret is NOT to OVERDO any herb in a recipe. The Lavender Egg Salad recipe was posted on the Rosemary House Blog last year and now I will try it and see if it is something I will make for the Herb Faire.....when I find the recipe I will post it for all to try.

HEY GIRLS..

Advertise your herbal "going on's" on the side just like I did.....if you need some help just holler...Good way to get the "word" out on what we sell in the way of herbs and herbal delights!

ENCOURAGING...

Susan - just seeing your bay plant is encouraging me to try again....the bay plants we sell are very small....and costs $5.....so I don't order very many - as I can't give good instructions on how to keep it alive...LOL!! Just look at yours...it is so happy in it's new home!

We have our Herb Faire the same time as Landis Valley so I have never been able to go to it...but I do hear it is great! We sell herb plants every year.....and I use to call the "event" Miss Violet's Ladybug Tea Party.....well that was misleading to some and they wanted to make reservations for the "Tea"...so after a few years of trying to explain we now call it our "Herb Faire"....not a faire at all....just the time when we start selling the plants and our garden treasures...always the first Wednesday in May. That week I make lots of yummy herb goodies - for everyone to sample. We have a nice side yard where I can sell the herbs - and I do think we sell the best on the market! Last year it poured and poured and poured but luckily we have a back and front porch to the store and we kept the flats of herbs under roof....keeping my fingers crossed for a week of pure sunshine !!

I didn't expect to see any customers that first day but thank goodness for true loyal customers...Linda came with her boxes and winter coat.....looking forward to much better weather this year! Picture is of back porch...the next pictures are herbs on the front porch... You can see that nice side yard in one of the pics...it was a swamp that week !!!

...and of course the basil had to stay indoors.....

BAY LAUREL, Herb of the Year 2009

Here is a picture for you, Judy, of my bay. I over wintered it indoors in a south window, but because the window was under a porch the bay just sat and didn't grow at all. When I moved to the new shop I had to put my tender perrenials in an east facing window. See the light green on the tips of all the branches, that is one months new growth. I also have a passionflower vine that was just a bunch of sticks in the pot and once I put it in the east window it grew 6 ft. (YES----FEET) in one month. I don't water very often, usually just whenever I remember. But now that the plants are growing, I will try to water every 4-5 days.


Saturday was the bi-annual Beaver Run School auction. It is put on by the Amish community and there is so much stuff that they have to have at least 6 auctioneers. This was the first time I went and I will never go again. Judging by the bids, you would not know that a recession was going on. These people were paying $3 for one petunia plant in a 3" pot. I go to auctions to get things cheaper. I can go to the local nursery and get a 6-pk. of petunias for $1.89. All I could think of all day is "What are these people thinking?" There was even one amish girl that paid $5 for a 6" tomato plant and she had to buy 6 at a time. I think I got the deal of the day.....I bought rhubarb plants and paid $4 per 12" pot and there were at least 4 plants per pot, also had to buy 4 pots at a time. Anyways, my next post or so I will put on a picture of the rhubarb along with a recipe for rhubarb punch.

I did a lot of raking the past couple days. And then took some before pics of the garden areas that I plan to plant this spring. Once the gardens are planted and growing, I'll post some before and after pics. Mother's Day weekend in Lancaster County, the Landis Valley Museum has an annal Herb Faire. I have been going every year for the last 10 or so. I can usually find the standard herbs and some unusal ones too that I cannot normally find wholesale. This Herb Faire is the Fri and Sat before Mother's Day.


These are some grunged up tulips I made with a little peep on a pole. Displayed in enamelware, of course.

I SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED....

Thought I would post a BEFORE picture of the herb garden at the store.....I did spend alittle time this afternoon cleaning up some of the leaves....they just gather here!! Lemon Balm, Italian Oregano, Golden Oregano and Lavender are all peeking their little stems through the leaves.....Feverfew is growing like a weed....(some people call it a weed)...but not me ...I love the pretty daisy like flowers it produces and I dry bouquets of them. Also growing like a "weed" is the Catnip....never ever plant catnip near your herb garden...it comes up all over the place. The one nice thing about having "catnip" handy is I share it with all my "cat lover" customers....

I would like to introduce you to "Miss Lizzie Tish".....she takes up residence here in the herb garden all year round...soon she won't have to wear her sweater and I think some new clothes would be a nice gift as she does such a great job keeping watch over the garden.

Miss Lizzie has some friends visiting this summer and I know some of them would love to go home with you....be sure to come to our Herb Faire and meet them.

OH MY - LEMON BALM...

The lemon balm in our herb garden is peeking thru the leaves that have YET to be cleaned up...NEVER ENOUGH THYME and when there is, it is raining.....!!! This weekend for sure the gardens will get done. I love Lemon Balm but have to admit I don't use it much for anything other than filling vases and drying to hang - You can make "lemon water" by steeping some in a pot - bring to boil and then let cool in pot....strain and add it to a spritz bottle - keep in refrigerator....When it is HOT - a little "spritz" will be quite enjoyable - perfect to spritz right under the chin!! Lemon Balm will take over like MINT....so becareful where you plant it....(mine is right smack in the middle of the garden and needs to be pulled out constantly)...although that is a "pleasant task" !!
Anyone use lemon balm for anything else??? Come on gals ....join in the discussions...we all want to hear what you have to say - POST POST POST !!!